Planning on buying a brand new Giant Trance X Advanced SL 0 2012 or Anthem 2 2017

krcp

Hi there,

I came across a brand new Giant Trance X Advanced SL O 2012 that's still in stock at a local Giant dealer. Only one bike is available at almost less than a third of the original asking price ($9750 vs. $2800 now - import duty is high here, hence the price difference).

So is it worth getting? I'm new to full suspension bikes and my question is does the age of the bike, 2012, affect the bike's tires, brakes and suspension?

Thanks,

KRCP

steve_sordy

My first question would be does it come with a service? That will address most but not all of the issues raised below.
The second question would be a what warranty do you get with the bike? Anything that would go wrong as a consequence of the long storage should manifest itself pretty quickly

But if no warranty and no service...

I wouldn't worry about the tyres they are cheap enough, even if they have gone wrong. The inner tubes also may have perished, cheap to replace, probably best to do so anyway.

I suppose that the suspension may have suffered from not being used for 7 years. I'm thinking of the fork wiper seals drying out. If the shock is the upside down version, ditto. I'd put plenty of wet Lube (not dry lube), or even better Fork Juice around the stanchions and cycle the forks several times and then allow to "soak". I'd do that a few times a day for a while, just to be sure. Ditto for the dropper seatpost if it has one. You could easily find out the cost of a full service on your suspension. Or get your LBS to do a lower leg service on the fork and an air can service on the shock. But I am straying towards the edges of my knowledge here. Other members have far more experience.

I'm guessing that the frame is carbon fibre. I have no idea what the passage of time does to a CF frame.

The whole bike will need a good looking over, everywhere that grease or oil is normally will have dried up or gone solid. They will need a clean and regrease (headset, hubs, pivot points, chain, derailleur(s), shifters, brake levers, bottom bracket, pedal axles). Does the seat post even come out of the seat tube?

Do the brakes work, are the discs clean? They can be cleaned up and new pads can be bought if they have become contaminated.

My major concern is that superficially this looks like a bargain, lots of high spec kit etc. But many of the parts have been superceded by time. What was XT performance is now bettered by SLX. Can you get the spares? Can you afford the spares even if they are available. The geometry of bikes has changed over the years and you won't be able to upgrade that.

Sorry if I'm coming across as a bit negative, you may have zero problems, but don't be surprised if you do.

If you could buy a £37,000 BMW that had been sat in a garage for 7 years for the same money as a new VW UP! would you do it? Once you had it up and running at unknown cost, could you afford to run it?

krcp

Wow!! Thanks a lot Steve for the thorough explanation. I'm having second thoughts now since this could end up being a lot of work if it comes down to it.

So my next option was a Giant Anthem 2 2017 which is also got a good discount. What's your opinion on this bike?

Thanks again for the thorough walk-through.

Long_Time_Lurker

Dammit - was writing something out and Steve has written something similar - and better tbh. :x

So - what he said.
Assuming that it all worked (i would expect the shop to give it a once-over before I rode it away), my biggest concern would be that the 2012 model has a 26" wheelsize. Major manufacturers don't make anymore, so parts would be harder to source (not impossible - probably online, but I wouldn't be able to walk into any local shops here and pick up something off-the-shelf)
That in itself would probably be a major reason that they have knocked a hefty amount off of the price tag.

And Welcome to the forum!

krcp

Thanks a lot for the heads-up about the wheel size!! I'm real happy to be part of such a helpful forum!!

krcp

A few pics I received from the showroom for the Anthem 2:

steve_sordy

KRCP wrote:

..........
So my next option was a Giant Anthem 2 2017 which is also got a good discount. What's your opinion on this bike?

...........

You are welcome!

I would have no concerns about the Giant Anthem 2 2017. I used to have an Anthem X2. It was my first full suspension bike and I liked it a lot to start with, but my biking ambitions quickly outgrew it, whereas my skill didn't! So I bought what was then called an All Mountain" bike, ie Kona Dawg Supreme with 150 travel. I ran that bike for three years.

What I suggest you do is to actually ride several bikes to see what sort floats your boat when riding rather than when looking at them! Test riding is a highly valuable thing to do, especially when you can ride several bikes one after the other on the same terrain. After a test ride, I have rejected bikes that I thought previously were the business. Similarly, I have been converted from feeling neutral to a total fan. Companies like Rutland Cycling do demo days, but so do many others, try Googling "Demo Days" or similar.

krcp

Thanks a lot Steve!! I'll try a few test rides as suggested.

steve_sordy

There is some confusion here. The title says Trance, you have now rejected that one and moved on to an Anthem. As can be seen from Oxoman's reply, it is confusing things.

JBA

I would jump on that Anthem if it is discounted.
SLX drive chain, 34mm forks, 30.9mm dropper: what’s not to like?
Not as burly as a Trance but a great bike for XC and trails that aren’t too gnarly.

krcp

Thanks a lot for the advice!!!

krcp

steve_sordy wrote:

There is some confusion here. The title says Trance, you have now rejected that one and moved on to an Anthem. As can be seen from Oxoman's reply, it is confusing things.

Updated the title

krcp

JBA wrote:

I would jump on that Anthem if it is discounted.
SLX drive chain, 34mm forks, 30.9mm dropper: what’s not to like?
Not as burly as a Trance but a great bike for XC and trails that aren’t too gnarly.

Yes, it is discounted by around 35%